Identification of changed broadcast media items

• US 9,461,759 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2015
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: iHeartMedia Management Services, Inc. (iHeartMedia, Inc.)
• Inventors: Anniballi, Dyon, Generali, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): REGO, DOMINIC E
• Application Number:
  US14/953,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20160087735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 309 Days
• Field of Search: 455 301- 306, 348/604, 348/729, 725/63, 725/68, 725/100, 725/115, 725/131
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/12 Arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/90 characterised by the use of signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/43 for identifying broadcast channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/44 for identifying broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/56 Arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition covered by groups H04H60/29-H04H60/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861

Abstract

Small changes in a broadcast version of a base media item can be identified by performing a multi-level comparison of digital fingerprints. A fingerprint of a base media item is compared to a fingerprint of a media broadcast to determine whether a media item embedded in a broadcast is likely, to a first level of certainty, to be the base media item. A second, more stringent, match between the fingerprint of the base media item and loosely matched items can be used to identify potentially-altered versions of the base media item. Potentially-altered versions can be compared against each other, and resulting matches are flagged as altered base media items, which can be fingerprinted and tested against broadcast fingerprints in the same manner as the base media item.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining a substantially-continuous fingerprint representing content broadcast by a media station, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device;

obtaining a first fingerprint representing a base version of a discrete media item, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device;

performing a first comparison attempting to match, to a first degree of certainty, portions of the substantially-continuous fingerprint to the first fingerprint, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device;

identifying portions of the substantially-continuous fingerprint that match the first fingerprint to the first degree of certainty as loose matches, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device;

for each of the loose matches;

performing a second comparison attempting to match, to a second degree of certainty more stringent than the first degree of certainty, the loose matches to the first fingerprint, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device;

identifying loose matches that fail to match the first fingerprint to the second degree of certainty as potentially-altered matches, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device;

attempting to match individual potentially-altered matches against other potentially-altered matches to the second degree of certainty, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device; and

generating a flagged match in response to one or more of the individual potentially-altered matches matching another one or more of the other potentially-altered matches to the second degree of certainty, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a second fingerprint of the flagged match, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device; and

performing a third comparison attempting to match, to the first degree of certainty, portions of the substantially-continuous fingerprint to the second fingerprint, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the potentially-altered matches in a data construct representing a pool of failed stringent matches, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the substantially continuous fingerprint includes:

capturing content from a plurality of transmission sources during transmission of the content, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device; and

generating a plurality of substantially continuous fingerprints, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the substantially continuous fingerprint includes:

capturing analog content using a field recorder; and

generating a digital fingerprint from the analog content.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising

performing the first comparison for a plurality of substantially continuous fingerprints associated with a plurality of different broadcast media stations, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device;

and

performing the second comparison of the loose matches across multiple different broadcast media stations, by executing a program instruction in a processor of a computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the second comparison takes into account a margin of error for broadcast artifacts.

8. A system comprising:

a field recorder configured to;

capture transmitted content associated with a media station;

generate a substantially-continuous fingerprint representing content transmitted by the media station;

a computing device including a processor and associated memory, the computing device configured to;

obtain the substantially-continuous fingerprint;

obtain a first fingerprint representing a base version of a discrete media item;

perform a first comparison attempting to match, to a first degree of certainty, portions of the substantially-continuous fingerprint to the first fingerprint;

identify portions of the substantially-continuous fingerprint that match the first fingerprint to the first degree of certainty as loose matches;

for each of the loose matches;

perform a second comparison attempting to match, to a second degree of certainty more stringent than the first degree of certainty, the loose matches to the first fingerprint;

identify loose matches that fail to match the first fingerprint to the second degree of certainty as potentially-altered matches;

attempt to match individual potentially-altered matches against other potentially-altered matches to the second degree of certainty; and

generate a flagged match in response to one or more of the individual potentially-altered matches matching another one or more of the other potentially-altered matches to the second degree of certainty.

9. The system of claim 8, the computing device further configured to:

generate a second fingerprint of the flagged match; and

perform a third comparison attempting to match, to the first degree of certainty, portions of the substantially-continuous fingerprint to the second fingerprint.

10. The system of claim 8, the computing device further configured to:

store the potentially-altered matches in a data construct representing a pool of failed stringent matches.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the field recorder is further configured to:

capturing content from a plurality of transmission sources during transmission of the content; and

generating a plurality of substantially continuous fingerprints.

12. The system of claim 8, the computing device further configured to:

perform the first comparison for a plurality of substantially continuous fingerprints associated with a plurality of different broadcast media stations; and

perform the second comparison of the loose matches across multiple different broadcast media stations.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the second comparison takes into account a margin of error for broadcast artifacts.

14. A method comprising:

obtaining, via a network interface of a computing device including a processor and associated memory, a substantially-continuous fingerprint representing content broadcast by a media station from one or more field recorders;

generating, at the computing device, a first fingerprint representing a base version of a discrete media item;

performing, using the processor and associated memory, a first comparison attempting to match, to a first degree of certainty, portions of the substantially-continuous fingerprint to the first fingerprint;

identifying, using the processor and associated memory, portions of the substantially-continuous fingerprint that match the first fingerprint to the first degree of certainty as loose matches;

for each of the loose matches;

performing, using the processor and associated memory, a second comparison attempting to match, to a second degree of certainty more stringent than the first degree of certainty, the loose matches to the first fingerprint;

identifying, using the processor and associated memory, loose matches that fail to match the first fingerprint to the second degree of certainty as potentially-altered matches;

attempting to match individual potentially-altered matches against other potentially-altered matches to the second degree of certainty, using the processor and associated memory; and

generating, using the processor and associated memory, a flagged match in response to one or more of the individual potentially-altered matches matching another one or more of the other potentially-altered matches to the second degree of certainty.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating, using the processor and associated memory, a second fingerprint of the flagged match; and

performing, using the processor and associated memory, a third comparison attempting to match, to the first degree of certainty, portions of the substantially-continuous fingerprint to the second fingerprint.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

storing the potentially-altered matches in a pool of failed stringent matches, using the processor and associated memory.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining the substantially continuous fingerprint includes:

capturing content from a plurality of transmission sources during transmission of the content using the one or more field recorders; and

generating a plurality of substantially continuous fingerprints at the one or more field recorders.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining the substantially continuous fingerprint includes:

capturing analog content using the one or more field recorders; and

generating a digital fingerprint from the analog content at the one or more field recorders.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising

performing, using the processor and associated memory, the first comparison for a plurality of substantially continuous fingerprints associated with a plurality of different broadcast media stations;

and

performing, using the processor and associated memory, the second comparison of the loose matches across multiple different broadcast media stations.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

wherein the first and second comparisons takes into account a margin of error for broadcast artifacts.